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The city has crafted changes that should allow coffee shops, art galleries and other venues that don't serve alcohol to imbibe in live music without too much expense.
A draft of an ordinance regulating entertainment licenses would decrease the annual cost of such a license from $400 to $50 for those establishments.
The draft ordinance also would specifically define coffee shops, art galleries and music-only venues.
Wichita's rules on entertainment licenses are being weighed because of concerns by some that venues not serving alcohol shouldn't be held to the same standards as those that do.
"Music never caused someone to have a DUI on the way home," said Kathy Roush Major, who said her business with her husband, Clif Major, closed because of licensing issues.
Instead of running their former C. Major's Rockin' Daddy's, they now play and teach music in the "Uptown Conservatory of Music at Clif and Kathy's Abode" — the great room of their home.
Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz has been working with City Council member Janet Miller and people such as Roush Major to draft new rules.
Stolz sent a copy of the draft to a few people this week for consideration.
"We've given it out to some of the businesses so they can look at it and proofread it," he said.
Stolz told The Eagle this month that the city revised its entertainment licensing in 2009 to try to increase safety around bars and clubs.
At the time, he said, "what we failed to realize is there's an art district out there."
Major said Stolz has been "phenomenal to work with" on the issue.
"He's gone above and beyond" to try to understand people's concerns about the ordinance.
Roush Major was still reviewing the proposed changes Wednesday.
Adam Hartke, a concert promoter who also is operations and promotions manager at the Orpheum Theatre, said Wednesday that he hadn't had a chance to look at the suggested revisions.
Hartke said he is more interested in the philosophy behind entertainment licenses for venues that don't serve alcohol.
He said he understands that residents might have concerns about noise from live music, but the city's noise ordinance should handle those problems.
Stolz said in an e-mail to Hartke and others that "we are trying to strike a balance between residential neighborhoods and those in the 'entertainment' business. Our goal is (to) make the licensing process easy and cheap for the affected businesses, but at the same time maintain some type of order for our citizens who respect peace and quiet in neighborhoods. "
Stolz said he and Miller likely would take the changes to the City Council in a month or more.
